Adrian's Past
by WriteRight969798
Summary: Lissa wants to try to reverse the Strigoi process like she did with Dimitri. What happens when the Strigoi they catch is from Adrian's past? Who was she to him? And what will she reveal about him?


**Rose's Point of View**

I laughed as Lissa pulled a face, trying to dream walk into Adrian's mind again. Christian's smile was huge, and he looked as if he were trying not to laugh too. Adrian was sitting cross-legged on the red satin couch, his head tilted back and his eyes shut. My amusement dissipated as I looked at him, remembering how he still wasn't talking to me. He was still pissed that I had chosen Dimitri over him. While I still felt slightly guilty about it, but couldn't bring myself to regret the decision.

Lissa, Christian, and I jumped when someone knocked on the old wooden door. Adrian was still asleep.

"I got it," I said, climbing out of the recliner I'd been sitting in and went to open the door. Outside the door was Guardian Lenox, a hardworking male dhampir in his late thirties who had pepper colored hair and dark blue eyes. He was often sent as a messenger, as he was one of the fastest guardians out there.

"What's up?" I asked, taking in his ruffled appearance. It then occurred to me that he had been sent out with four other guardians to Philadelphia. We had heard that there was a Strigoi running around that had actually been killing other Strigoi that got within twenty miles of the Court. I was on alert immediately.

"We found the Strigoi, Guardian Hathaway," he said, trying to catch his breath. He placed his hand on the inside of the doorway and leaned heavily against it.

"And?" I asked impatiently, wanting to get back to watching Lissa practice. "Did you kill it?"

Guardian Lenox scratched the back of his head nervously. "Not exactly…"

My eyes narrowed. "What did you do?"

He cleared his throat and looked past me. I turned to follow his line of sight and saw him staring at Lissa, who looked down guiltily. I looked back and forth between Lenox and Lissa, waiting on one of them to explain.

"Well," he started, sighing, " the Queen told us to try not to kill the next Strigoi we found, so she can try to turn them back like she did with Guardian Belikov."

I turned around and glared at Liss for a brief second before turning back around to Guardian Lenox. "What did you do with it?"

"We have her detained in one of the cells. The others of our group are guarding it right now." Upon seeing my pissed off expression, he added, "She's weak and injured at the moment. We had to stake her to incapacitate her."

"She?" Lissa interjected quickly before I could say anything. "Rose said the culprit was most likely a male."

"With the damage it was doing, we thought it was. Females usually try to steer clear of other Strigoi unless they're intruding on their hunting territory," I explained to Lissa before turning back to Guardian Lenox. "Was there any evidence of other Strigoi in the area?"

Guardian Lenox shook his head. "Nope. Not a single trace of other Strigoi in the area, other than a couple bodies we found. Had to call the alchemists. But other than that, there was nothing."

I nodded, tapping my bottom lip with my index finger as I processed the information.

Guardian Lenox leaned his shoulder against the inside of the doorway. "Not to mention the way we captured her was weird."

"Weird?" Christian asked before I could. "Weird how?"

Guardian Lenox frowned for a moment. "It was like she was waiting for us. She was right where we first looked. She wasn't even surprised when we showed up. Hell, she didn't even fight when we were trying to stake her. Well, other than keeping it away from her heart."

"That is weird," I muttered under my breath.

"No kidding. Oh, she introduced herself too," Lenox added, almost as an afterthought. "Said her name was Lena."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Adrian's head snap up as he stared at Lenox with a look of disbelief. Christian, who had been sitting beside him on the couch, flinched back from his sudden movement.

"Lena?" Adrian whispered, an almost pained look appearing on his face.

"Yeah," Guardian Lenox confirmed, not noticing Adrian's expression. "Lena Gaide."

"Um, excuse me, Guardian Lenox?" Lissa directed our attention back to her. She looked back and forth between us as she said, "Shouldn't we go to the cells now? I mean, how long is it going to be before this girl can break out again?"

"Oh, of course, Queen Vasilisa," Guardian Lenox said. I giggled as Lissa's face scrunched up with a look of distaste when Guardian Lenox not only used her title, but also her whole first name. "Follow me."

I moved out of the doorway as Lissa and Christian walked past me hand in hand to follow Guardian Lenox. Adrian was still sitting cross legged on the couch, his head down.

"Adrian, are you coming?" I asked as softly as I could. Adrian looked at me and I was surprised to see a single tear sliding down his face. He wiped it away quickly and nodded. I followed him as he walked briskly out the door.


End file.
